US OPEN : Nadal makes history with final win over Djokovic

Rafael Nadal finally stormed the most intimidating citadel of the sport where it is played on hard courts when he defeated Novak Djokovic 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-2 in a rain-delayed U.S Open final that spanned 213 minutes and nearly six hours in total.
At 24 he becomes the seventh and the youngest man since tennis went open 42 years ago to claim all four Majors in a career. He did it by displaying his almost inhuman intensity to fight off the brave challenge of Serbia’s world number three.
Nadal is the crowning glory on Spain’s wonderful year of sporting success. The soccer World Cup, the Tour de France and now an almost unparallelled year of triumph in another sport practised all over the globe.

Larry King and wife file to dismiss divorce

NEW YORK: Broadcaster Larry King and his seventh wife have filed legal papers withdrawing their planned divorce, King’s spokesman said on Thursday.

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Larry King and wife file to dismiss divorce

Pakistan denies Afghanistan transit for Indian trucks

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday has denied Afghanistan the transit for Indian trucks, which means that there still exist conflicts on trade agreement through border of two neighboring countries, Geo news reported.

Finance Ministry sources told Geo news the signing ceremony of Pak-Afghan transit trade draft has been postponed till the seventh round of the talks, giving rise to speculations that there have appeared the definite disagreements between two countries on some issues.

Afghanistan put forward a proposal of bilateral trade through providing transit to open trucks from India en-route Pakistan but owing to security reasons, Pakistani officials have denied transit to Indian trucks, sources said.

Pakistan has also refused to an Afghan proposal involving India-Afg trade through Pakistani airports, sources maintained.

33 dead in Baghdad suicide attacks

BAGHDAD: A suicide bomber and a series of attacks in Baghdad have killed 33 Shiite pilgrims gathering for a major festival with 99 others wounded, Iraqi security officials say.

The suicide attack, in Adhamiyah, a Sunni district, killed 28 people, with 63 others wounded, an interior ministry official said.

The area is across the Tigris river from Kadhimiyah, an area named after Musa Kadhim, the seventh of 12 revered imams in Shiite Islam, whom pilgrims are honouring.

Five other pilgrims were killed and 36 wounded in separate bomb attacks, police said.

Seven US troops killed in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON: Seven US troops were killed in Afghanistan Monday, five of them in a single roadside explosion in the eastern part of the country, a Pentagon spokeswoman said.

The Americans were among 10 NATO troops killed in a bloody day of roadside explosions and small arms fire.

Five US soldiers were killed in an improvised explosive device in eastern Afghanistan, another was killed in a separate IED attack, and the seventh by small arms fire in southern Afghanistan, said Lieutenant Colonel Beth Robbins.

SHO amid four police gunned down in Quetta

QUETTA: At least four policemen were shot dead including an SHO police as unknown miscreants opened fire on police mobile vehicle in Satellite Town located in provincial city of Quetta here on early Friday, Geo news reported.

According to police sources, the rescue efforts are underway while the gunmen succeeded to flee.

Nation observing Youm-e-Takbeer today

ISLAMABAD: Youm-e-Takbeer is being commemorated on Friday May 28, 2010 to mark 12 years since Pakistan fist conducted nuclear tests.

The day is to be celebrated across the country with a solemn pledge to make Pakistan a stronger country, militarily and economically.

Pakistan had conducted nuclear tests at Chaghi, Balochistan in response to five nuclear explosions conducted by India, to become the seventh country in the world to possess nuclear weapons.

To mark the day, various political parties and social organizations have chalked out a number of comprehensive programmes in different parts of the country.

Amla, de Villiers hit tons as South Africa beat Windies

NORTH SOUND: Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers scored hundreds as South Africa defeated West Indies by 66 runs in their rain-affected one-day international on Saturday.

Amla anchored the top half of the South African batting with 102 from 109 balls, and de Villiers kept the momentum going with the same score from 101 balls, as the Proteas, put in to bat, reached 280 for seven from their rain-reduced 48 overs on a slow Vivian Richards Cricket Ground pitch.

South Africa then dismissed West Indies, who had been set a Duckworth/Lewis target of 288, for 215 in 44.1 overs to clinch a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, which continues on Monday at this venue.

Morne Morkel was the most successful South African bowler with three wickets for 40 runs from eight overs, while Dale Steyn, Ryan McLaren, and Johan Botha collected two wickets apiece.

“We want to play well, and we want to win this series,” said South Africa captain Graeme Smith.

“We want to have a very successful tour of the Caribbean. I have said this a number of times. We have a lot of bouncing back to do, following the Twenty20 World Cup, and we want to do it well.”

“This is just the first match, and the matches are very close together, so recovery is going to be important to us being successful.”

West Indies captain Chris Gayle, whose 45 from 39 balls was the home team”s top score, felt let down by the batting again.

“It”s one of those things that we can”t seem to catch a break with our batting, so we will have to go back to the drawing board,” said Gayle.

“We are not going to give-up. We know that we are not playing good cricket now.”
Steyn set West Indies back early, when he had Andre Fletcher caught at slip for four in the third over.

South Africa were put on the defensive, however, when Gayle gave West Indies a typically flourishing start.

Ryan McLaren had Dwayne Bravo caught behind for 15, and Morkel had Gayle caught in the deep to leave West Indies 69 for three in the 13th over.

The South Africans then saw Ramnaresh Sarwan make 38, and left-handed compatriot Narsingh Deonarine get 26 to stage a recovery with a stand of 61 for the fourth wicket.
Botha made the breakthrough in the 27th over, when Deonarine top-edged a sweep, and was caught at backward square leg, and Morkel bowled Sarwan, as West Indies slipped to 140 for five.

Kieron Pollard joined Denesh Ramdin, and they put on 52 for the sixth wicket.

Steyn returned for another spell, and bowled Ramdin for 17, when the batsman chopped on, and West Indies lost their last five wickets for 23 runs from 35 deliveries.

Amla, later named man-of-the-match, reached his second ODI hundred from 106 balls, when he steered a short, rising delivery from Pollard to third man for a single in the 33rd over.

De Villiers later reached his seventh ODI hundred from 99 balls, when he dragged a delivery from Ravi Rampaul through mid-on for a single in the 44th over.

They added 129 for the third wicket, after play started half-hour later than scheduled, and a near half-hour stoppage for rain further marred the match.

Amla put on 53 for the first wicket with Smith either side of the rain break before the Proteas” captain edged a flat-footed drive, and was caught behind for 18 in the seventh over off Bravo, who also had Jacques Kallis caught at third man for one to leave South Africa 57 for two.

After de Villiers added 54 for the fourth wicket with left-hander JP Duminy, South Africa lost four wickets for 40 runs from the last 41 deliveries of their innings.

Bravo was the most successful West Indies bowler with three wickets for 40 runs.

Sabir Ali Wins 7th Stage Of Tour De Pakistan

RAHIMYAR KHAN PAKISTAN: The participants of the Tour de Pakistan reached Rahimyar Khan from Bahawalpur in the seventh stage which was won by Sabir Ali of the Sui Southern Gas Company.

In all, 47 cyclists left Bahawalpur for Rahimyar Khan in the seventh stage, which consists of 200 km. This distance was completed by 42 cyclists.

Sabir Ali was the first to reach the destination, winning second successive stage in the event. He crossed the distance in five hours, 39 minutes and 26 seconds.

Imtiaz Hasan of Afghanistan came second and Ovais Aslam of WAPDA secured the third position.

Tomorrow will be the rest day and the participants will leave Rahimyar Khan for Sukkur in the eighth stage on Wednesday.

Iditarod Sled Dog Race Kicked Off

Hundreds of sled dogs and thousands of fans lined up along Anchorage’s Fourth Avenue for the ceremonial start of the 1,100-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
Around 70 teams are participating in the event. The dogs leaped and barked when it was their turn to leave the downtown chute for an 11-mile run across Alaska’s largest city. Mushers ran with 12 dogs instead of the 16-dog teams they’ll use when the actual competition starts Sunday in Willow, about 50 miles to the north. Seventy-one teams are entered in the trek to Nome, an old gold rush town on Alaska’s western coast. More than a third of the mushers are from seven other countries and nine other states. “I won’t be disappointed if I come in third or 23rd, as long as my team looks happy and healthy doing it,” he said. “If I get to Nome and I question ‘Well, what if I had done this, or what if I had done that,’ then I’d be disappointed.”

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